Field Notes / What I'd Plant This Week on the Gulf Coast (Late July)
Field Notes

Watering Right in a Texas Summer (More Isn’t Better)

Late July feels like the garden's dead season, but it's secretly the most important planting week of the year — fall starts NOW. Here's my actual list.

J By Jordan Polasek · September 13, 2026 · El Campo, TX

By Jordan Polasek · September 13, 2026

Come July, the instinct is to water a little every day. That’s exactly backwards for most Texas gardens — it grows shallow, thirsty roots that fry the first day you miss. Here’s the rhythm that actually builds tough plants.

Deep and infrequent wins

Water long enough to soak 6–8 inches down, then let the top inch dry before the next round. Deep roots reach cooler, wetter soil and shrug off a hot afternoon. A daily surface sprinkle trains roots to stay up top where they cook.

Time it right

Happy growing, y’all. Got a Texas gardening or homesteading question? Come back tomorrow — there’s a fresh post here every day.


“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who gives the growth.” — 1 Corinthians 3:7

Around our little corner of the internet: BVTech.org · JordanPolasek.com · In Remembrance of Autumn 🐾

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